The name Alkenton reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Alkenton family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Alkenton family lived in Lincolnshire, at the Manor of Elkington, near Louth.

Early Origins of the Alkenton family

The surname Alkenton was first found in Lincolnshire at either North Elkington or South Elkington, parishes in the union of Louth, Wold division of the hundred of Louth-Eske. Both parishes were originally one and were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Alchinton. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) Hence the name is conjecturally descended from William de Percy who held his lands from Ivo Tailbois, a tenant in chief. At that time the village of Elkington (Alchinton) consisted of one church, one chapel, a mill and a mill site. Elkington is also a deserted medieval village and civil parish in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire. Listed in 1377 as having 30 households, by 1412 there was none.

Early History of the Alkenton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alkenton research.Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 160 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Alkenton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alkenton Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Alkenton include Elkinton, Alkington, Elchington and others.

Early Notables of the Alkenton family (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Alkenton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Alkenton family to the New World and Oceana

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Alkentons to arrive on North American shores: William Elkinton, who settled in Virginia in 1637; Thomas Elkington, a bonded passenger who arrived in America in 1736; George Elkington, who was on record in New Jersey in 1738.